By Candice Ludlow
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkno/local-wkno-919222.mp3
Memphis, TN – The Shelby County Election Commission acknowledged problems with voting on August 5th. The Commission said the problems started when May early voting data was downloaded into the Electronic Poll Books for the August election. The Commission asked for an independent investigation and they've made it clear they're not going to say much more until that investigation is through.
Danny Presley is one of the attorneys for the Election Commission. Presley refused to comment about the case, saying it's not going to be tried in the media.
Regina Morrison Newman is one of the plaintiffs in the case. She lost the race for Shelby County Trustee to David Lenoir by 4,548 votes. The Democrats are concerned that as many as 5,000 voters were not allowed to vote.
Democrats have sued. They're worried the problems with the election are much more extensive than the Commission is letting on. Democratic candidate and lawyer for the party Newman is spending a lot of time at the Election Operations Center. She says it's taking a long time to gain access to the election data, and she's not confident in Shelby County's election system.
There are several investigations into what happened with the August election. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is on the case, as requested by Shelby County District Attorney Bill Gibbons. The Secretary of State's office is investigating. And Congressman Steve Cohen has requested Attorney General Eric Holder to step in.
On Tuesday, just two days before the Commission is set to certify the election, Presley said, "I have no reason to believe right now that the certification won't occur on the 19th."